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When I was young, my parents told us kids that Labor Day was a day set aside for families to labor together. Clever spin. Every year, on the first Monday of September, we were awakened early to start a day of cleaning out the garage… or weeding the garden… or scrubbing floors… or canning peaches… or whatever.

Funny thing—even after all these years…

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In my former life, I did some writing for two TV shows: Murder, She Wrote and The Equalizer.

Yep, The Equalizer. Anyone remember that one? Tales of a former secret agent who tries to atone for his past by offering his investigative services for free to whoever needs help? I know, I know, it does seem an unlikely writing fit for me. (Don’t ask. It’s a long story.) But the thing I loved about that show was that the head writer was a committed follower of Christ. He managed to get some of the most amazing Christ-honoring scenes into the show.

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Today, just for fun, I’m throwing in a little word play:

I had to laugh and tease my pastor a bit last fall. He sent out an email reminding us about… (Ooops! Come on over to see the rest of Signs of the Time.) www.kaystrom.com

You gotta love August! It’s the month of sunshine and vacations. The year’s break to kick back and slack off, to eat hot dogs and potato salad off paper plates. The month to go to the fair and eat a frozen banana on a stick, to ride the Ferris Wheel—and whatever they call all those new upside-down-make-certain-your-soul-is-in-God’s-hands rides. It’s the month to pig out on watermelon, and tomatoes still warm from the garden, and zucchini from everyone else’s.

So, what’s with all the writing business in this lazy month? The third and final book of my Blessings in India trilogy, The Love of Divena, released. I finished the sample chapters for another book. I met a great guy who’s interested in pursuing one of my movie scripts (I had to edit it). I got my India visa squared away. Oh, yes, I’m also scrambling to complete the children’s church curriculum I’m writing with a friend.

Smoky helping with my book signing at the fair

But August is also the month I’ve finally taken an important step: I’m revamping and moving my blog. (Yep, that’s why I’ve been off-line for a month. That and all the above.) Instead of my two blogs—Kay’s Words and Grace in Africa—and continually struggling to update my website info on a regular basis, I will be doing it all on in one place–on my website! (“It’s about time!” my web-building friend Michael Reynolds says.)

Stay tuned. And feel free to chip in your two cents worth.

Hey, you gotta love August~!

Merrily, merrily, shall I live nowUnder the blossom that hangs on the bough.~ William Shakespeare~

Most of us speak (or roar or whisper or moan) common idioms without giving them the first thought. I mean, really, there’s nothing unique about a sore thumb. Yet people have been saying “it sticks out like a sore thumb” to describe something oddly out of place since at least the middle of the 16th century. Maybe that’s the whole point. We all understand the awkwardness of a sore thumb.

Look at how well these other thumb idioms also work:

If you’re tired of being under his thumb,take charge!

I keep dropping things. I’m all thumbstoday!

Your plants look wonderful! You obviously have a green thumb.

No transportation? Don’t thumb a ride. Hitch-hiking can be dangerous.

If you thumb your noseat the idea, you had better be ready to offer one of your own.

Thumb throughthis new magazine. If you like it, you may want to subscribe.

The board gave your proposal a thumbs down? Maybe you can bring it up again later.

As a rule of thumb, I plant my garden in May. (I hate this one! It came from 17th century English Judge Sir Francis Buller who allegedly ruled that it was A-OK for a husband to beat his wife with a stick, so long as it was no wider then his thumb! Ugh!)